CLOD

12 August 2016

Marg

Cruisers Living on Dirt..
Hum.. No, this is not an add for "Merrell". Steve and I are in another dreaming stage, wondering what and where our next adventure will take us. We have a few ideas that we are kicking around... so, it may be time to invest in a new pair of sandals. I will add, these sandals have been throughly tested as you can see. (Thank goodness no one can smell them..lol)

Affectionately reminded of Lion's Paw. Enjoying a day in Orangeville, Ontario.
Forever ours. Rumour has it that the new owners are going to rename her... sad, but we're Happy to keep the name dear to us.

The Bahamas.. finally added an album to our Gallery

04 July 2016

As promised, I've finally added an album for this past season in the Bahamas. It is a sweet but sad moment, since we have decided to sell Lion's Paw. We hope to find fun, loving, adventurous new owners for Lion's Paw. She has been a comfortable home, kept us safe and made possible the enhancement of our lives. Lion's Paw is waiting at Ortega River Marina to begin again.

Good times shared

05 February 2016

Staying way to long waiting for the weather to calm down, Steve and Murray busy themselves with a few little jobs about the house, hoping to please our host Marion. I believe it is mutual that we have made good friends. We seem to migrate together each evening to share some appetizers and sundowners. Marion's English is superb! Our German is comical, but despite the language barrier, we communicate well by sharing our photos of family and stories.. with some sign language and some needed interpretation, even Ingrid is able to have us laughing at her jokes and tales. Of course I have to mention that good times were shared with the 2 watch dogs, Midnight and Kayo, whom sat with us at the picnic table waiting for scraps to hit the floor...and constantly licking our legs for attention. ?watch dogs?
Today, we were invited along to join in for a beach day and lunch.

Island time

01 February 2016

Today, we took the bus to a little strip mall to get our SIM card for Internet. Not as adventurous as years gone by but fun.

You can drink in public, as long as you have it wrapped in a paper bag! I couldn't resist this photo taken outside the police station. Barry, here's a good introduction for your parents..."the new in laws" .. Yikes!

Not so! We were waved in to join sv Windswept IV. Heather and Murray have known Marion and Klaus for many years, and since both catamarans were in Florida, there was dock space for Lion's Paw as well. We were welcomed with a beautiful smile and handshake, offering us free dockage and use of the pool and outdoor showers.

Lucaya, Grand Bahamas

31 January 2016

While looking for a place to anchor, Heather and Murray pulled up along side a dock in front of a beautiful home. Confused, we continued our search. The anchorages were full, so we turned around and started to head back to the marina we checked into.

Lucaya, Grand Bahama Island

31 January 2016

We arrived at 8:15am. Checking in was a breeze, walking up to the end of the dock to the customs office. The usual $300US for entry and a cruising permit plus an additional fee for the Immigration Officer $40US (never arrive on a weekend) and the unexpected docking fee $25US (for using the dock to clear in)... We're here!
The trip, well it was a bit of a slog.
Best exit from the States though.. As we were entering the inlet to leave, we got a call from our friends "the Rachel's" and I was able to skype call Mike and Heather!
Life is wonderful on L.P.

The crossing was wonderful! The colder weather in Florida caused the north winds to funnel along the coast, which caused bigger waves than expected as we left Lake Worth, but as we got into the Gulf Stream (Steve checked the temperature of the water.. a balmy 80 degrees) and night approached, the winds dropped and we had to motor sail. The waves also dropped to 3ft and the ride was very pleasant.

Today we are off to the Bahamas!

It encompasses the entire waterfront park area between two streets and it is well supported by the town's people and tourists alike. We were trying to play it cool. This afternoon we were lifting the anchor, in time to catch the opening of the 3:15pm Bridge, and motor sailing right out the Lake Worth Inlet, heading to the Bahamas.

That afternoon, we did our usual routine before a passage. Our routine is simple...securing everything below and above deck, putting a double reef in the main, rechecking all standing rigging, the running lights, preparing the ditch bag and putting the dinghy on deck.
Sailors motto: Prepare for the worst and hope for the best

More Boat dollars.
This will be our second day of rain...time for some reading (Steve) and sorting through a few cubbies and lockers (Marg). It's amazing what I've found that no longer is needed aboard.

We've discovered life is much simpler going on a trip to the Bahamas and calling ourselves Snowbirds. This is our second time around, except we are not selling everything and changing our lifestyle. Leaving for a longer periods of time, to countries without parts and tools, was another story. That's when we needed to take everything we could think off!

Yesterday, after spending countless times up and down the mast, uninstalling and installing the refurbished wind gene that he's been working on since it started to make this terrible noise, Steve decided it was time to call it quits. He hates when that happens and he beats himself up over it. Normally, if mechanical, he can fix it but sadly this is beyond repair and I agreed, it was time to invest in another unit.
So, a phone call was made to the supplier to discuss what to buy next (the same supplier that recently sold us parts for our repair and have been so helpful with Steve's diagnostics) and after some research on the net, a decision was made. So simple! A phone and Internet. Ah, to be in the real world.
Next was to figure out the logistics. Steve phoned our friends Karen and Pat to ask if they would take another delivery and drive it down to West Palm Beach for us. We hated to ask, but of course they would.
Meanwhile, I had the brilliant idea to phone and ask the Waterfront Visitors Center if they could take delivery for us. They were more than happy to comply! This morning, with coffee in hand, Steve took the dinghy over to the concrete dock, tied and locked it up, walked across the street and received Lion's Paws new Airbreeze Wind Generator.

Listening to Chris Parker this morning and looking at the gribs, it seems we may be off this coming Sunday, Monday time frame. Karen & Pat plan to come down (anyway) to West Palm Beach on Friday and we can explore the town together.
Life is so much simpler on L.P.

Steve's take: Life is so much simpler if you are rich and didn't have to spend 5 days trying to fix it!

West Palm Beach, Florida

26 January 2016 | West Palm Beach

This selfie is with Heather and Murray sv Windswept IV.
We are in West Palm Beach,. We did not get a good window on Monday so we are now thinking it will be next Saturday.. meanwhile, we are enjoying a really great anchoring spot on the east side near the Flagler museum. We are in-between the Royal Park Bridge and the Flagler Memorial Bridge in West Palm Beach. When we dingy over to the west side (towards town), there is a free dinghy dock and from there (across the road) we are able to catch a free trolley that takes us all over the town (library, Publix, etc). We had a tour yesterday. It is a very upscale town here in the Arts and Entertainment District.
It is a beautiful area! and there is free wifi near the waterfront visitors center (in the park opposite the large concrete dock where we left our dingy). I updated the blog yesterday.

Girl's Day Out

22 January 2016

Here we are after a wonderful full morning of shopping at Lady Ann's Restaurant & Tea Room. From left to right.. Medi, myself, Karen and Connie. The hats were courtesy from Lady Ann who came to our table to see if we enjoyed our entrees.. I first had her signature Lobster Bisque .. it was the best I’ve ever had! And I was absolutely stuffed.
The guys had quite a different day. On the mooring ball it was raining and wavy.. they looked like drenched rats when they cam to drop Pat off and pick me up. That night the temperatures were to begin to drop and they did. We fell asleep knowing that tomorrow we sadly leave Sunset Bay Marina, and our friends with cars and homes with heat and head south to Lake Worth.

Coming full circle around the Caribbean, we sailed from Guatemala in February and arrived back in the USA. We left Lion's Paw in Florida and drove north, back to our new (as of Sept. 2014) "land" home in Collingwood, Ontario, Canada. [...]This summer was full of emotions, events and topping up the kitty. As soon as the weather dips, we'll drive back to our "water" home to take advantage of being able to drive when seeking out provisions and supplies for our "I want..hum???" boat list. This winter, we plan on having a sailing holiday.. we are "just" going to the Bahamas!.. well that's the plan.

This blog is meant for family and friends whom wish to share in our adventure. I plan to add a few comments along the way that may be of help for those wishing to embark on a similar voyage. Looking forward to meeting you out there!